Level 1 • Lesson 68 — Listening carefully to stories

Objective

Listen carefully to stories read aloud, show good listening behavior, and tell who was in the story, where it happened, and what happened first, next, and last.

Materials

1 short read-aloud story (picture book or printed page)
Paper folded into three boxes: “Who?”, “Where?”, “What happened?”
Simple “listening rules” chart (eyes on speaker, quiet mouth, still body)
Crayons to draw a favorite part of the story

Mini-lesson — Listening carefully to stories

Good readers are also good listeners. When someone reads a story aloud, we do not just hear the sound. We listen to the words and think about what is happening.

When we listen carefully, we use whole-body listening:

Eyes look at the book or the reader
Ears listen to the words
Body stays mostly still and calm
Mouth stays quiet until it is time to talk

As we listen, we collect story clues in our mind:

Who are the characters in the story?
Where does the story happen (the setting)?
What happens first, next, and last?

After the story, we can show good listening by retelling the most important parts in our own words. We do not have to say every tiny detail. We tell the big events in order.

Today you will practice listening with your whole body and then telling who was in the story, where it happened, and what happened first, next, and last.

Picture strip: Whole-body listening to a story

Guided Practice — Mini-book: Listening to stories

How to use this mini-book:

Read each page aloud to your child (they listen, not read).
Ask your child to show good listening with eyes, body, and ears.
After each page, ask the question and let them answer in a full sentence.

Then read a real story and use the same questions to help your child retell what they heard.

Listening words

listen story characters setting first next last

Frames: “The characters are ___.” “The story happens in ___.” “First ___, then ___, last ___.”

Mini-Book: Listening to stories

1

Whole-body listening

When someone reads a story, we listen with our whole body. Our eyes look at the book, our ears listen, and our body stays mostly still.

Show how your body looks when you are listening.

2

Listening to the words

We listen to the words, not just the pictures. The words tell us what is happening and what the characters say and do.

What do the words in a story tell you?

3

Who and where

As we listen, we notice who the characters are and where the story happens. We listen for names and places in the story.

Who is in the story? Where are they?

4

What happens first

Stories have events in order. First something happens at the beginning. We listen closely so we can remember how the story starts.

What happens first in the story?

5

Next and last

After the beginning, more things happen next. At the end, something happens last. We listen so we can retell the story in order.

What happens next and what happens last?

6

Retelling the story

When the story is done, we can retell it. We say who was in it, where it happened, and what happened first, next, and last.

Can you retell a short story you heard today?

Listening Practice — Understanding stories

Read each short description of a listening situation. Choose the best answer. Then press “Check answers”.

1) “The teacher starts a story. Kim looks at the book, keeps her body still, and listens.”
What is Kim doing?

2) “The story is about two friends at a park.”
What two things did you learn by listening?

3) “First, the friends build a sandcastle.”
Which part of the story is this?

4) After the story, Eli says, “First they built a sandcastle. Next it fell down. Last they laughed and went home.”
What is Eli doing well?

5) If you did not hear part of the story because you were distracted, what should you do?

6) Why is it important to keep a quiet mouth while someone reads a story?

7) After listening, the teacher asks, “What was your favorite part?”
Why is this a good question?

8) After a story, which sentence shows good listening?

Quick Check (10 questions)

1) What does it mean to “listen carefully” to a story?

Talk to a friend while the story is read Use your eyes, ears, and still body to focus on the story Look out the window and think of something else

2) Which question helps you remember the characters?

“What color is my backpack?” “What is 2 + 2?” “Who is in the story?”

3) The setting of a story is…

where the story happens your favorite food how many pages the book has

4) Which words help you tell events in order?

up, down, left first, next, last red, blue, green

5) After a story, which sentence shows you listened well?

“I do not know anything that happened.” “I only remember the cover color.” “The story was about a girl and her dog who lost a ball and then found it.”

6) What should your mouth be doing when someone reads a story to the group?

Staying quiet unless it is time to answer Talking the whole time Singing a song out loud

7) If you forget part of the story, you should…

make up a new story that is totally different ask kindly if the reader can tell that part again say nothing and always guess

8) Which of these is a good listening rule?

“Look away and move around a lot.” “Talk to friends during the story.” “Eyes on the reader, quiet mouth, still body.”

9) Why is listening carefully to stories important?

It helps you understand and enjoy the story It makes stories boring It means you never think about the story

10) To get better at listening to stories, you can…

always ignore read-alouds practice using whole-body listening and retelling what you heard only look at pictures and never listen to the words

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Shows whole-body listening during a short read-aloud Can name the main characters and setting after listening Can tell what happened first, next, and last in simple stories Can retell a favorite part of a story in their own words Follows basic listening rules (eyes on reader, quiet mouth, still body)

Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can listen carefully to stories and tell what happened 🙂 I need more practice listening to stories 😅 Listening and remembering still feels tricky

I will practice…

Using my whole body to listen Saying who, where, and what happened after a story Retelling a short story in order

Lesson 68: Listening carefully to stories